所有女性免費領取衞生巾？蘇格蘭成全球首例

Another reason to visit and love Scotland: yesterday the country’s parliament voted almost unanimously to make women’s sanitary products freely available. Scottish women will be able to pick up tampons and pads at places like pharmacies and community centers.
我們又有了一個去蘇格蘭旅遊並愛上它的理由：昨天該國議會投票，幾乎全票通過為女性免費提供衞生用品。蘇格蘭的女人們將能夠在藥房和社區中心等地領取衞生棉條和衞生巾。
The Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland bill, which is expected to pass through its remaining legislative hurdles, is a “real signal to people in this country about how seriously parliament takes gender equality,” said the bill’s proposer, parliament member Monica Lennon. Two years ago, Scotland began providing free sanitary products to schools and universities.
《蘇格蘭（免費提供）經期用品法案》的提議者同時也是議會成員的Monica Lennon説，預計這項法案能通過剩餘的立法障礙，它是“給該國人民傳遞的真實信號，體現議會認真對待兩性平等”。兩年前，蘇格蘭開始為學校和大學免費提供衞生用品。
Women typically spend over $2000 on sanitary products. A 2018 survey by Young Scot found that a quarter of young women struggled to afford sanitary products, a common scenario known as “period poverty.”
女性衞生用品的花銷通常超過2000美元。2018年Young Scot（青年信息慈善機構）進行的調查發現四分之一的年輕女性買不起衞生用品，這種情況很常見，被稱為“經期貧困”。
Tampon and pad prices have long been a political issue in the U.K. due to the so-called Tampon Tax, the 5% tax rate on sanitary products, a rate set by the EU.
英國有所謂的“衞生棉條税”，所以衞生棉條和衞生巾的價格一直都是政治問題。歐盟制定的衞生用品的税率是5%。